


Rules of De-escalation

by AConcordo



Series: Wynonna Earp Collaboration Project [1]
Category: Wynonna Earp (TV)
Genre: F/F, F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-03
Updated: 2017-11-03
Packaged: 2019-01-28 20:18:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,501
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12614628
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AConcordo/pseuds/AConcordo
Summary: “Doc.  You’re storing your earnings in a shoebox under the floorboard! Exactly how is that safe?”Waverly decides to help Doc with Shorty's.  Things don't go as planned at the bank.





	Rules of De-escalation

**Author's Note:**

> Plot line prompts include: (1) characters being at the bank during a robbery and (2) superpowers.
> 
> Updates will be happening around Thursday/Sunday evening (PST and EST) or Friday/Monday morning (GMT)

 

**[Friday, 11:45, Purgatory Bank]**

 

There was shouting. Pounding. Scurrying of footsteps backing away from her.

 

Every fiber of her being ached.  She felt as though she was there, but not fully.  Her head throbbed and for some odd reason, she was able to… notice? No. Sense. Yes, she could sense the ringing that echoed through the room.  There were men off in the distance.  She felt heavy, as though weighed down by something, or, someone.  It was weird.  She could sense shaking now.  It was confusing.  She knew that all her senses felt intensified, but she didn’t know why.

 

Everything. just. ached.

 

Beside her, she heard sobs.  The voice sounded familiar.  So familiar.  Yet, she could not piece together who it was?  The ringing sound began to lessen.  She blinked.  Once.  Twice.  Shifting her head ever so slightly, she saw a brunette by her side.  Realization quickly sank in as the memories flooded her.

 

_‘Waverly.’_

 

She had been shot.  Again.  While she was off duty, of all times!  She wondered if this was fate trying to taunt her.  Was this a sign?  But wait?  This couldn’t be how their story would end.  She had just gotten out of the hospital!  The divorce papers were just signed last week!  She refused to accept it as truth.

 

“Nicole, baby, _please_ , don’t die on me.   _Please!”_ Waverly whispered in between her sobs.

 

Nicole Haught didn’t want to die.  She wanted to stay.  Stay and do good.  Stay and be with Waverly.  Stay and make a difference in the world.  Let Waverly know every single day how _she_ was her world.  There was still so much she had to do, but with so little time.

 

It seemed as though the universe had other plans.  

 

The aching pain that she had felt when she first came to was now starting to dissipate.  It was as though she was floating.  Nicole shut her eyes and breathed in deeply.  

 

The shaking suddenly stopped.

 

“Nicole?” Waverly whispered once more.

 

* * *

 

**[Friday, 10:21, Shorty’s]**

 

“Now, you see here, Waverly Earp, I ain’t gonna go trustin’ no bank with my money!”

 

Henry “Doc” Holliday kicked the door shut behind him.  He made the way over to his hideaway stash of cash, and continued onwards, “I know times have changed while I’ve been down that well, but one thing’s for certain, you leave your money lying around where someone can see it, that money’s gonna get stolen!  Banks are _not_ safe!  Step away from the bills.”

 

The youngest Earp rolled her eyes as she stood up from where she was crouching.  She dropped the floorboard that was in her hand, and turned to meet the marksman.

 

“Doc.  You’re storing your earnings in a shoebox under the floorboard! Exactly how is that safe?”

 

Bending down to pick up the floorboard that Waverly had just dropped, Doc paused before he responded.

 

“It just is.  Nobody but me knew this was here, and well, now it’s me, you and the fine officer there,” Doc said before he nodded towards Nicole, who was standing by the side observing everything.

 

Officer Haught stared at Doc with a raised eyebrow.  She knew quite well that between Waverly and Doc, Holliday would not win this match; but, it was always entertaining to watch him try.

 

“Doc, you have thousands of dollars here.  Do you have any idea how much interest you could be making?  And don’t even get me started on your lack of a POS system!” Waverly began to rant, ignoring the look of confusion that came over Doc’s face, “I know Rosita isn’t here to help out anymore but-”

 

“Now, _why_ would I want a piece of shit system?”

 

Nicole burst out into laughter for half a moment, before raising a hand to cover her mouth.  The officer made eye contact with the youngest Earp, and Nicole could tell by the twinkle in her eyes that Waverly was only getting started.

 

“Point. Of. Sale. System, Doc!”

 

Waverly took a step towards him and pointed a finger at his face, “POS!”  She began to wag her finger at him, “Point of sale system!  Not piece of shit system!”

 

Holliday’s eyes widened and Nicole could see him attempting to quickly collect himself, despite being so taken aback by how quickly the conversation had escalated.  

 

It was a strange thing, to see _the_ Henry “Doc” Holliday show vulnerability.  Granted, considering how things have been like for the last month - with Nicole almost dying, Doc and Dolls actually dying, the unkillable gays (Jeremy wouldn’t stop using it to refer to the three of them) blowing up an alternate universe… what was she thinking about again?  

 

Oh yes, Doc’s vulnerability.

 

It would appear that Doc Holliday had finally met his match in Waverly Earp.  

 

“I know that adjusting to the twenty-first century has been hard for you, Doc, but you have us!  The Purgatory Bank is just a few blocks away and the financial advisors there are the best!  They always gave me cookies whenever I dropped by.  You know how I’ve had years of experience at Shorty’s, and honestly, I used to help him with the weekly deposit all the time, and it’s really not that hard once you sit down and take a look at your budget to make sure everything is balancing out and -”

 

* * *

 

“Hey, Doc, have you seen Waves?”  Wynonna asked as she sat down across from him.  Although Shorty’s wasn’t officially opened yet, the door had been unlocked and Wynonna never paid much attention to signs anyway.

 

The Earp heir froze in her seat; Doc hadn’t said anything yet.  Usually he’s made a smart remark, but today?  Nothing.  

 

The man’s eyes were glossed over.  It was like he wasn’t even there anymore.

 

“Henry…?”  Wynonna said slowly in concern before waving her hand in front of him.

 

Holliday didn’t react.  Slowly, he raised a glass of whisky to his mouth and took a long sip.

 

“Math, Wynonna.  She was talking math.”  

 

He emptied his glass and reached for the bottle to refill.  The poor man looked like he had been run over by a bus, and that's saying something, considering he had survived living in a well for over a hundred years.

 

“Uh,” Wynonna mumbled, before grabbing a glass and pouring herself some whisky, “what the hell.”  

 

She was never one to enjoy math either.

 

* * *

 

**[Friday, 11:35, Purgatory Bank]**

 

It was a slow, but also busy work day, if that made any sense.  Waverly could tell from the moment she and Nicole had stepped into the bank that it would take them a while to get out of there.  Glancing around the lobby, she noted how Emily, her favourite customer service rep, wasn’t at her usual till.  Instead, a younger and newer rep was there, clicking away at his computer with a look of confusion on his face.  

 

Behind him, stood the bank supervisor, Laura.  She didn’t look too thrilled with the pace he was working at, nor did poor Mrs. Palmer, who was trying very hard to keep smiling. The elderly woman dropped by the bank every other Friday to pay her bills and withdraw cash.  She reminded Waverly of Doc, as Mrs. Palmer also did not understand how debit and credit cards worked.

 

Pulling her eyes away from the scene before her, Waverly looked up at Nicole, who had also just finished surveying their environment.  It was something Waverly noticed about her, how the young officer was always so cautious and aware of what was happening, even when she was out of her uniform.  

 

The youngest Earp quickly found herself picking up the habit; ergo, the scan across the lobby.

 

Moving forward to join the short line of customers, Waverly instinctively reached out her hand to grasp her girlfriend’s.  It was still such a novel thing, to think of Nicole as hers.  Although the two of them had been together for several months now, there were times where Waverly still felt as though she didn’t know the redhead as well as she could have.  Or, at least, as well as Nicole’s _ex-wife_.  

 

That was going to change though.  

 

Waverly swore on it after the two of them had finally sat down to talk.  At the time, Nicole had laughed, lovingly, before the two of them began to trade facts about themselves between every kiss.  Wynonna had almost walked in on them, but Waverly had thought ahead and preemptively installed a new lock on the door to her room.  

 

After all, Waverly Earp is a planner.

 

“Hey, what’s going on in that head of yours?”  Nicole asked, giving Waverly’s hand a gentle squeeze.

 

Waverly returned the gesture, before leaning into her girlfriend and laying her head on Nicole’s chest.

 

 _Thump-thump-thump-thump-thump-thump-_ Waverly took a deep breath before looking back up at Nicole.

 

“Just, thinking.  About you.  About us,”  Waverly glanced down at their intertwined hands, “and just… how _good_ this feels right now.  I still can’t quite believe it.”

 

“Mmm, we better work on that then.  Because I don’t plan on leaving for a very, very long time.”  Nicole smiled and pressed a kissed onto Waverly’s forehead.

 

The two of them continued to stand in line, not saying a word, but staring at one another as though they were the only ones in the room.

 

 _‘God, I love her,’_ Nicole thought to herself as the line slowly moved forward.

 

From the moment that she had walked into Shorty’s, Nicole Haught knew that Waverly Earp was going to change her life.  There was something about the youngest Earp that just took Nicole’s breath away.  She truly had never loved someone as much as she loved Waverly, and although it had been a bumpy last few months, Nicole wouldn’t have changed any of it… except maybe the part where she got bit and almost died.  That wasn’t as fun.

 

Giving Waverly’s hand another soft squeeze, Nicole leaned in and-

 

“EVERYBODY ON THE GROUND NOW! THIS IS A STICK UP!”

 

 _‘Are you kidding me?!’_ Nicole turned immediately to place herself between Waverly and the men who had just stormed into the bank.

 

Behind them, Mrs. Palmer had screamed before crumbling onto the ground.  Waverly could not tell if she had collapsed from a heart attack or had fallen as commanded.

 

There were four men, all armed with rifles and handguns.  Nicole assumed they were from out of town; as weird as Purgatory was, nobody walked around wearing obnoxiously ugly, bright and shiny green jewelry.  

 

“Listen, we don’t want to cause any trouble,” Nicole started, before the man standing closest to them walked forward and held the gun up to Nicole’s head.

 

“Nicole!” Waverly shrieked as she struggled to get in front of the redhead.  Nicole had grasped onto her arm though, and wouldn’t let go.

 

“Are you stupid? I said EVERYBODY. ON. THE. GROUND! NOW!”  The man shouted, pointing his gun at Nicole’s head and inching it forward with every word he spoke.

 

“Of course.”  Nicole replied calmly, before she repositioned herself in front of Waverly and slowly maneuvered them to the ground.

 

Glancing around, Officer Haught noticed how everyone else in the bank had already done as instructed.  Nicole swore underneath her breath as she realized that in her hurry to meet up with Waverly that morning, she had forgotten her firearm at home.  Even the one she usually has stashed away in her sock.

 

“None of y’all be thinking of anything.  Any of you move and it’ll be a bullet through your eyes!”

 

The men were spread out across the lobby.  Two made their way towards the safe behind the counter, while one stood guard at the door, and the last one - the one that Nicole had angered, paced back and forth while overlooking everything.

 

It was hard to see from where they were, what with Nicole and Waverly crouched down and the redhead trying her hardest to shield the youngest Earp.  Nevertheless, Nicole watched and took everything in.  

 

She deduced that the man who had yelled at them earlier was the one in charge.  

 

“C’mon D, hurry it up with the safe!” The guy stationed at the door shouted.  

 

The clock on the wall indicated that it was 11:42.  Nicole suddenly remembered something she had learned during her training - how most robberies occurred on Fridays in the morning.  She never would’ve thought that Purgatory would be one of the small towns included in that statistic.

 

“Calm down, Charlie.  We’ll get you that money one way or another.” The man in charge said, waving his gun towards Charlie, who flinched and ducked.

 

“Watch it, Alpha! Not all of us are like you!”

 

 _‘Their nicknames,’_ Nicole thought to herself, _‘they’re using the army alphabet.’_

 

Risking a quick glance towards the safe, she noted how the two men - Bravo and Delta, she presumed, were not doing anything at all.  Or. at least, Nicole thought they hadn’t been doing anything.  

 

One man had his eyes shut, and his hands pressed to his head.  He looked as though he was concentrating intensely and - she suddenly felt Waverly’s hand move towards her backside.

 

 _‘Of course! My cellphone!’_ Nicole realized, taking a deep breath before she tried to maneuver herself so that she hid the majority of Waverly behind her.

 

“Nicole!”  Waverly whispered, causing the officer to jump slightly.

 

The youngest Earp had been observing her girlfriend.  She knew Purgatory’s finest was only waiting for the right moment to strike.  Waverly appreciated Nicole wanting to protect her, but honestly?  Nicole had just gotten out of the hospital.  There was no reason to go back in.  As bad as it was to be stuck in a bank during a robbery, Waverly knew Wynonna, Doc and Dolls could have them out in a jiffy.

 

 _‘Oh no,’_ Waverly faltered and shifted her eyes in deliberation, _‘Doc will never let me hear the end of this.’_

 

Forcing herself to ignore the fleeting thought, Waverly quickly typed up a text to the rest of their team.  She had also texted Nedley before she dialed 911… just in case the operator happened to be on break.

 

Purgatory was a small town.  Waverly learned at a young age to always have back up.  

 

After turning the volume on the phone to the lowest setting and dimming the brightness, Waverly moved to put the phone back in Nicole’s back pocket.

 

“WHAT DID I SAY ABOUT NOT MOVING?”  Alpha shouted as he moved towards Waverly and Nicole.

 

Nicole instinctively placed herself in front of Waverly once more.  The officer willed herself to remember the de-escalation training she had gone through.  

 

Rule number one: communication is key.

 

Rule number two: undivided attention.

 

Rule number three: be nonjudgmental.

 

Rule number four: focus on feelings.

 

Rule number five--

 

“SHUT UP! ALL OF YOU! JUST SHUT UP! I CAN’T THINK!” The man with his eyes shut suddenly yelled.

 

Nicole risked stealing a glance from Waverly.  The two of them were both thinking the same thing: nobody had said anything.

 

What in Purgatory was going on?

**Author's Note:**

> Rule number five: allow silence.


End file.
